The present invention generally relates to automated inspection systems. More particularly, the present invention pertains to methods and devices for logging data from inspection probes to computing devices, especially mobile computing devices.
Inspection probe manufacturers supply inspection probes that can be connected to computing devices (e.g., mobile devices such as cellular phones and tablet computers) and send data at set periodic intervals. These periodic intervals can be one-half second or longer. This method of data logging presents a significant obstacle to those users and inspection systems that need to log data at faster rates, or when connecting to computing devices that are constrained by processing power. Frequently, the data rate from the inspection probe exceeds the available bandwidth of the link between the probe and the computing device or between a computing device with limited memory unit and a database receiving the data from the computing device and storing the received data. In conventional data logging, the only parameter needed is how fast to read and log the data.
What is needed, then, is a device and method for overcoming data logging shortcomings and obtaining faster logging times for inspection data acquisition devices (e.g., probes) connected to slow computing devices (e.g., mobile or peripheral communication devices).